If Internet companies and some utilities have their way, the smart grid will rely on the existing infrastructure of the information superhighway in order to function. They argue that by relying on existing standards like Internet Protocol (IP), the smart grid will grow faster and more organically than if utilities adopt an assortment of proprietary methods. Issues like security become easier to address too because the Internet manages exceptionally sensitive data quite well with existing technologies.

To that end, the players dominating in the Internet arena including Google, Microsoft, and Cisco are all banking on the Internet’s role in the future of electricity management.

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Connecting the smart grid and the Internet is a thoughtful union of two sophisticated systems. As a result, issues like net neutrality that were previously limited to high-tech circles are now relevant in the energy arena. While these new issues add complexity to the creation of the smart grid, the benefits of this union far outweigh the costs.